The present invention relates to an auditory and phonological development apparatus and method, and more particularly to an interactive apparatus and method which provides systematic auditory and phonological training in the form of a series of interactive games.
Strong auditory and phonological skills are necessary for learning how to speak, read, and spell. Unfortunately, many children will not develop adequate listening skills and sufficient awareness of sounds of language without systematic auditory and phonological training. A number of known training techniques are available for the development and enhancement of auditory and phonological processing skills. These known techniques are based on a significant number of scientific studies and decades of clinical experience which have been reported in the pertinent professional literature. This literature teaches that children benefit from systematic sensory training and systematic instruction in auditory processing and metaphonological skills.
Although such techniques are known, implementation of these techniques has traditionally been available only through the use of professionals. Therefore, a need exists for a system which children (or even adults in appropriate circumstances) can use to help train themselves in auditory and phonological skills at their own pace, without the direct use of a professional with the benefit of the precise and systematic control of learning parameters afforded by the use of computer technology.
One system which is currently being marketed provides auditory training programs on a computer over the internet. This system, however, does not provide phonological training or the range of auditory training as defined below.
Auditory skills, as defined by those skilled in the art and as used defined herein, are the skills required for central auditory processes. Central auditory processes are the auditory system mechanisms and processes which are responsible for several behavioral phenomena including sound localization and lateralization, auditory discrimination, auditory pattern recognition, temporal aspects of audition, including temporal resolution, masking, integration, and ordering. Central auditory processes are also the mechanisms and processes which are responsible for auditory performance decrements with competing acoustic signals and auditory performance decrements with degraded acoustic signals. See, Central Auditory Processing Current Status of Research and Implications for Clinical Practice, Task Force on Central Auditory Processing Consensus Development, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, American Journal of Audiology, Vol. 5, pp. 41-54, 1996.
Phonological (or metaphonological) skills, as defined in the art and as defined herein, are those skills necessary for the conscious ability to detect and manipulate individual speech sounds (i.e., phonemes and syllables), e.g., move, combine, separate and delete speech sounds and syllables. A phoneme is the smallest unit of speech that serves to establish differences in word meaning within a language or dialect. A phoneme may vary in its acoustic properties to the extent that the differences in acoustic properties do not alter the meaning of the utterance. For example, [tap vs. t.sup.h ap]. These phonological skills are those skills necessary for the awareness of speech sounds in spoken words, in contrast to written words.
Auditory skills include auditory attention, auditory figure-ground discrimination, auditory discrimination and auditory (sequential) memory. Auditory attention as defined herein is the ability to maintain purposeful focus to sound over extended periods of time. Auditory figure-ground discrimination as defined herein is the ability to focus on sound in the presence of competing background noise. Auditory discrimination as defined herein is the ability to tell whether two sounds are the same or different. This auditory discrimination includes consonant as well as vowel discrimination. Auditory (sequential) memory as defined herein is the ability to remember sounds and words (in sequential order). Auditory segmentation as defined herein is the ability to detect and count the number of sounds.
Phonological skills, on the other hand, include phoneme and syllable synthesis, phoneme and syllable segmentation, phoneme identification, and phonological awareness. Sound-symbol correspondence as defined herein is the ability to associate a sound with an alphabetic letter. Rhyming awareness as defined herein is the ability to recognize sound patterns. Phoneme and syllable synthesis as defined herein is the ability to blend sounds into syllables and syllables into words. Phonemic segmentation is defined herein as the ability to detect and count the number of sounds and syllables in a word. Phonemic identification as defined herein is the ability to recognize a phonemic sound and store an adequate representation of the sound in longterm memory. Phonological awareness as defined herein is the ability to identify sounds and sound sequences within a word.
Therefore, it is desirable to have an adaptive training arrangement which would allow a child (or other user) to work independently to develop auditory skills and phonological skills. It is also desirable to have an adaptive learning tool which would help the child progress on a step-by-step manner to more challenging levels at his or her own rate of learning with systematic and precise control of learning parameters. In addition to providing a system which can help train children in auditory and phonological skills, it would be desirable to have a system which would entice the children to want to use the system.
Therefore, in view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system which a child or other user may utilize to help train him or her in auditory and phonological skills without the use of a professional in an interactive and fun manner.